Fatal New York bus crash: officials say most people on board were Canadian

The majority of the 23 people aboard a bus involved in a deadly crash in Upstate New York on Friday were Canadian citizens, officials in the state have confirmed.

New York State police reported Friday afternoon that a bus travelling from Montreal rolled over on U.S. Highway 87 in the town of Lake George. Police have said one person died and 11 others were injured, one of them seriously. All wounded passengers were taken to nearby hospitals.

Don Lehman, public affairs director for New York's Warren County -- which encompasses Lake George -- said Saturday the majority of people aboard the bus travelling to New York City were Canadian and at least two others were Swiss citizens. Eight people were able to continue their journey to New York City by Saturday morning, he said.

Some of the people on the bus spent Friday night at Lake George's Fort William Henry Hotel, Fort William Henry Corporation CEO Kathryn Flacke Muncil confirmed. She said some of those people were still at the hotel Saturday morning as they waited to collect personal belongings from police and arranged further travel. She declined to provide any information about the travellers.

FlixBus, a company owned by Germany-based Flix, which also owns Greyhound, confirmed Friday the bus was operating on its behalf on its route from Montreal to Midtown Manhattan.

The company said it did not have details about the cause of the crash, but added it is working with local authorities to determine what happened

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2023.